Amazing Vegan Gravy

Amazing Vegan Gravy! Make your own vegan gravy from scratch using simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. This recipe uses nutritional yeast and a touch of yeast extract or soy sauce for deep umami flavour. Perfect for Thanksgiving poured over mashed potatoes, or for making vegetarian poutine.

So, I’ve been working on this recipe for approximately one million years.

Ok, that’s not true. But the perfect vegan gravy has been eluding me for an awfully long time.

I’m not sure if I ever really loved gravy way back when I ate the real thing, but for some reason perfecting a great vegetarian gravy has been a mission of mine. If we’re being honest, it’s probably more due to my love of poutine than anything else.

And since I live in a nation void of poutine and I’m not above smuggling dairy products internationally (I’ve done it in both directions, taking the wonder that is Swedish butter into Canada, and the glory that is authentic Canadian cheese curds into Sweden) the only way to get it is to make it myself.

I’ve learned a lot of things in my gravy exploration. Life lessons in brown sauce, if you will. This vegan gravy, I’d say, is proper gravy. It’s pour on yer mashed potatoes Thanksgiving gravy. It’s soak up with a nice piece of crusty bread gravy. It’s the gravy you use for your moist maker. And yes, damn straight it’s poutine gravy.

What do I need to make this vegan gravy?

A little bit of flour. I used whole wheat pastry flour here, but all purpose works just fine.

Olive oil.

Vegetable broth. Mine comes from a cube, but if you are fancy and have homemade broth on hand, that’s rad, too.

Marmite. Or Vegemite. Or whatever spreadable yeast extract you have on hand. And if this isn’t something you keep handy, don’t freak out. You can totally sub in some soy sauce.

The secret ingredient for Amazing Vegan Gravy is yeast, two ways.

First, the magical vegetarian pixie dust that is nutritional yeast, which adds a complex layer of flavour I think is missing in a lot of vegetarian gravies, and also contributes to the texture of the gravy.

Then, a touch of Marmite, the dark brown salty yeast extract, is whisked in at the end. This adds flavour and saltiness, but also a rich brown colour. If you don’t have or don’t like Marmite then we can’t be friends you can use a comparable amount of dark soy sauce instead.

How do I make this vegan gravy?

Friends, this recipe is quick and easy.

You’re going to grab your favourite saucepan, and heat the olive oil to a nice shimmer over medium-high heat.

Add the flour, and cook, whisking constantly, for 1-2 minutes, until the flour is starting to get a nice toasty smell to it.

Now add the nutritional yeast and continue to whisk for a couple of minutes more.

Add 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth, and whisk it into the flour mixture until there are no lumps. Add the remaining broth, and whisk until smooth.

Reduce the heat and simmer the gravy, whisking more or less constantly, until it begins to thicken.

Now add the Marmite – just a teaspoon at this point – whisk to combine, and then taste and season your gravy. Add salt and pepper, and perhaps a bit more Marmite.

Transfer to a gravy boat or whatever you’re serving from, and serve this gravy hot!

Pro tips / recipe notes:

Can this gravy be made gluten-free? I have’t personally tried this recipe with a gluten-free flour, but I’m confident that it would work out with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend in place of the regular flour.

Can this gravy be made in advance? Yes! You can make it, keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days, and re-heat it when you’re ready to serve. It will thicken as it cools and will thin out again when you reheat it.

How do you reheat this gravy? I’ve used both the microwave and the stovetop to reheat this gravy.

Can I freeze this gravy? Yes! Pour it off into a container and throw it in the freezer. Thaw and re-heat when you’re ready to use.

What if I don’t have Marmite? As stated above, you can replace the marmite with an equivalent amount of dark soy sauce. But Marmite is delicious and you should have it in your life!

What if I don’t have nutritional yeast? The nooch is super important for this recipe, so there isn’t a substitute. Go out and get yourself some, it’s bonkers good on popcorn!

Hey Nutrition Lady, what the heck is nutritional yeast?

Also commonly referred to as food yeast, Engevita yeast, Red Star yeast, nooch, or vegetarian pixie dust, nutritional yeast is a dehydrated, inactive form of yeast – it won’t make bread rise. The yeast is grown on enriched molasses, and is an excellent source of B vitamins and protein.

It is important to note that not all nutritional yeast contains vitamin B12. Only nooch that has been fortified contains this all important vitamin, so if you’re relying on nutritional yeast for your B12 intake, be sure to check the label.

Nutritional yeast has a distinct cheese-like flavour. It can be enjoyed sprinkled on popcorn or salads, added to gravies, salad dressing, soups, casseroles, dips, and sauces. Nutritional yeast can be found at many health food stores, and can be found packaged under various brand names, and is also often found in dry bulk food sections of grocery stores.

Small amounts of nutritional yeast can be stored at room temperature in a closed container. Larger amounts should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer in a sealed package.

Instructions

When the oil begins to shimmer, whisk in the flour. Whisk constantly for about 1-2 minutes until the flour begins to smell a bit nutty.

Add the nutritional yeast and continue to whisk for one more minute.

Add 1/2 cup of the broth and whisk into the flour mixture so that it is smooth and there are no lumps.

Add the remaining broth.

Simmer the gravy, whisking constantly, until it begins to thicken and is bubbling. This could take about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low, and whisk in the dried thyme, some freshly cracked black pepper, and 1 tsp of Marmite.

Taste your gravy and decide whether you want to add a bit more Marmite, and adjust the seasonings as necessary.

Transfer to a gravy boat, and serve hot!

Recipe Notes

Nutrition values are an estimate only.

Can this gravy be made gluten-free? I have't personally tried this recipe with a gluten-free flour, but I'm confident that it would work out with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend in place of the regular flour.

Can this gravy be made in advance? Yes! You can make it, keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days, and re-heat it when you're ready to serve. It will thicken as it cools and will thin out again when you reheat it.

How do you reheat this gravy? I've used both the microwave and the stovetop to reheat this gravy.

Can I freeze this gravy? Yes! Pour it off into a container and throw it in the freezer. Thaw and re-heat when you're ready to use.

What if I don't have Marmite? As stated above, you can replace the marmite with an equivalent amount of dark soy sauce. But Marmite is delicious and you should have it in your life!

What if I don't have nutritional yeast? The nooch is super important for this recipe, so there isn't a substitute. Go out and get yourself some, it's bonkers good on popcorn!

Nutrition Facts

Amazing Vegan Gravy

Amount Per Serving

Calories 75Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5g8%

Sodium 257mg11%

Potassium 72mg2%

Total Carbohydrates 5g2%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A2.5%

Iron2.7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe was originally published November 10, 2014. It was retested, re-photographed, and most recently updated on November 16, 2018.

Comments

I’m definitely trying this, Katie. I am in the Marmite camp (phew – we can still be friends!) and am overly fond of nooch so putting the two together in gravy is only sensible, right? This also looks a perfect way for folk who need a low fibre diet to get a healthy food-moistening option for their meals. I shall try it soon!

Yay for Marmite! Though I must warn you my allegiance is to the Kiwi Marmite. The British stuff is ok, but the stuff from New Zealand is thicker and blacker. Don’t even get me started on Vegemite! Good news for low fiber diets too, I didn’t consider that! Perhaps for those folks sticking with all purpose flour is the best option for the thickener.

My tastebuds aren’t up to distinguising different marmites. I lived in Namibia for a while and my friend there swore the marmite was completely different to British marmite. But I am all for the marmite, yegemite, promite and pretty much any other mite.

I bought a container of Marmite a while back for a veggie burger recipe. It gave the veggie burgers an amazing, savory flavor, but since then I’ve been at a bit of a loss as to what to do with it. This is perfect! I’ll give it a try for Thanksgiving this year.

I developed a taste for Marmite back when I lived in New Zealand, so every once in a while I’ll have a slice of hot buttery toast with a super thin layer of marmite on it. Sooo good! But a jar does last me forever. Great idea to add it into veggie burgers as well! I’ll definitely give that a try.

I know, I’m kind of a freak in the vegetarian world as a mushroom hater. I always believed I’d develop a taste for mushrooms as I got older, much like broccoli and red wine. But nope. And I’ve put genuine effort into trying to like them. I’ve tried different types, I’ve tried them prepared in different ways. It turns out I can handle some of the funkier types; I like enoki mushrooms, I like that crunchy brown fungus that is in a lot of Asian soups, and teeny tiny baby chantarelles. But in general I just plain old don’t like them, which is the bane of my existence as a vegetarian as many restaurants will have one veggie item and it often features mushrooms.

I totally get it Katie. When I actually think about what a mushroom is, it kind of creeps me out too, so I just don’t think about it because I do like them. Although, I don’t like raw mushrooms, they must be cooked for me to eat them.

Perfect gravy! This is my first year cooking a vegan Thanksgiving and I was worried bout the gravy with no meat or dairy. Your recipe looked too simple to be truly excellent, but your simple gravy is rich, grandma-traditional tasting, and inspired. Having no Marmite, I substituted red miso, and this was gravy to charm and fool all the carnivores present! And it takes 5 minutes to make, and reheats beautifully. Thank you, thank you! I will use this gravy so often.

I’m a fan of veg/vegan gravies but this one is the easiest ever!! I made it tonight for my family, and my 3yr old asked wide-eyed “mama, where did you get this SAUCE??!!” He liked it. A lot. And so did the rest of us! Yum. Funny, I didn’t see the ingredient measurements so I winged it. It might not have been exactly like yours, but it was def delish. So the recipe is flexible too – bonus. 👌

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Welcome to Hey, Nutrition Lady! - a vegetarian food blog focused on healthy food for busy people. I believe in a real life, fad-free approach to nutrition, and draw on my background as nutritionist to help people know what they're eating. I hope you like it here! Katie Trant - BSc FNH, MSc Nutrition